Legend of Zelda: The Weakest Link
by ZestySweetHeart
Summary: Link tried so hard to forget. A mother he was torn away from too soon, a boy he didn't have time to love, a man who showed him the meaning of fear. The hero of Skyloft has a dark past filled with pain and suffering. But Link has problems in the present, too. Like why is he so drawn to the guy who has always only bullied him? Also he is supposed to be a hero. M for sex & violence.
1. A Mother's Devotion

The Legend of Zelda: The Weakest Link

Chapter one: A Mother's Devotion

A tall, dark woman dressed in solemn mourner's garb stood in the rain, looking down at the ground where her late husband lay buried. She stared at the stone marker in pained silence, unable to say the words that swirled around in her mind. She was overwhelmed. She was afraid. She was lonely...

But she was not alone.

"Mommy," the little blonde boy at her side gently took her hand and tugged, prompting her to look down into his vibrant blue eyes. So innocent, so pure, so... So... "Mommy, it's going to be alright. I promise." She smiled down at her little six year old son.

"You're right, Link," she said, gathering the child into her slender arms, holding him close to her aching heart. "Everything is alright..." She stared out over her beloved son's little head, her gaze landing on the imposing figure standing by their carriage. A man, only a man, she thought... She hoped.

The man was tall, dark, and devilishly handsome. He had piercing gray eyes and raven black hair. His name was Kaid. And she was going to marry him.

Fear. Worry. Mistrust. Darkness. So many emotions raced through her body upon the sight of that man. But along with those emotions came hope. Hope for her son's future. Hope for a better life for them, together.

Kaid had promised her upon the morning of the third day after her husband's death that if she agreed to marry him and be a wife to him and a mother to his two sons, he would take care of her and Link.

But unease gnawed at her soul. She knew that if she didn't marry the man soon, he'd find out her secret. He'd never agree to marry her if he knew that she was pregnant with the child of her dead husband. He had already seemed somewhat put off at the idea of two more people to add to his family. One more mouth to feed, and it would be over. But... She thought... It would be different if he thought the baby was his...

So that's what she planned on telling him. But that meant she couldn't wait. She'd have to marry him soon. And then they'd have to consummate their marriage... Soon. Much sooner than she'd like. But she had to. To protect the baby. To protect Link.

She'd do anything to protect them. They were a family. And family sticks together... No matter what.

"Danika!" She jumped at the sound of Kaid's deep voice sternly calling her name. "We are leaving. Now. We have wasted enough time here. No amount of mourning will bring him back to you. Get in the carriage." Her husband had never spoken to her like that... But Leon was no longer her husband. And Kaid was her intended. So she turned, obediently, and softly answered the dark man.

"Yes, Kaid?" She saw a glint of silver in his gray eyes, and quailed before him. She instinctively pulled Link closer to her. The man she was to call husband gestured to the carriage impatiently. The door was open and inside were his two sons, Ajax and Kiefer. The two boys were quiet as their father led his broken hearted fiancé and her son to the carriage. Link hid his fair face in his mother's skirt and huddled in the corner, stealing quick glances at the two boys who were to be his brothers.

Ajax, the elder, looked very much like his father. Danika looked at him closely for the first time as she took her seat next to Kaid, across from her future stepchild. The sixteen year old boy had Kaid's dark hair and sharp features. His eyes however were a rich red color. He was tall and thin, his strong young body covered in wiry muscle. But he seemed nervous, awkward, and uncouth.

Keifer was much more polite albeit much more shy than his elder brother. He was a very petite child. At nearly twelve years of age he looked like the average eight or nine year old. His silver eyes seemed softer, more delicate than his father's steely eyes. His soft pale blue hair hung in loose waves over his thin shoulders, framing his angular face quite beautifully. If there was one word to describe Keifer, it was beautiful...

"Danika!" Suddenly she felt her face being roughly grasped and turned, and found herself staring into her future husband's face. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, woman! If I am to be your husband I will have you know that I require my woman to respect me enough to look at me when I am speaking, do I make myself clear!?" The vicious gleam in his dark eyes frightened the young widow into submissive silence as she stared at the man, appalled.

"ANSWER ME!" He shouted, gripping her by the shoulders, spit flying onto her pale face. The little boy next to her began to cry. His own two sons didn't even flinch. Is this yelling, this- this violence a normal part of their lives? Danika thought, suddenly wondering if she had made a huge mistake.

"Yes, Kaid," she whimpered, pain shooting down her arms as he squeezed her tender flesh cruelly. "Yes, I understand." When he let her go she shifted so that she could wrap her arms around her little boy and looked out the window. They had arrived at the temple.

"Now," Kaid said firmly, taking her by the hand more gently this time. "It wouldn't do for my bride to be upset with me on our wedding day, now would it?" Danika gulped, noting the irrational look in his eyes. It's too late, she thought. I am about to tie myself to a madman. I wish I could just run away... Maybe I can...

As she looked for a way to escape, she looked down into her son's wide blue eyes. Then her gaze met that of Keifer's. Her heart almost stopped. The boy was looking at her with a look of such hope, hope that she could somehow change things for him and his sullen brother... Her fears didn't disappear, but her courage grew. Maybe she could help.

She was afraid. But she made her choice. Danika married Kaid that day, and Ajax and Keifer became her sons just as much as Link had the day he was born. And she would do anything- ANYTHING- to protect her children.

**Read on as time passes by... Danika discovers that she has indeed made a terrible mistake. Kaid is worse than she could ever have possibly imagined. He is abusive and cruel. And one day he pushes too far... **

**How will Danika and Link cope with their new lives? Will Link's newfound brothers be good to Link, or hurt him deeply- more deeply than ever before? Maybe both? How will his childhood affect his future...?**

**Find out why our hero is so silent, so mysterious, so emotional... This is the story of Link, hero of Skyloft, hero of legend, champion of the lost Princess of Hyrule. This is a deep and slightly twisted version of the story. **

**Read and review please! If you have any ideas, I'm always willing to read them. :)**


	2. Looking Back and Moving Forward

Chapter two: Looking Back and Moving Forward

He could hardly believe it. His daddy had died not but a week ago and already he had a new one. Kaid. He glanced over at the tall man, who gave him a stern look. He glanced to the side and Kiefer shot him a worried look. He pointedly sat up tall and nodded to his new stepbrother. Link got the hint and sat up straighter in the uncomfortable wooden chair and quickly got back to his breakfast.

After the wedding at the temple they had sat in the carriage for hours until they finally reached their new home. They lived on a secluded farm deep in the forest. There was a tiny village not far away. There weren't more than twenty people living there. They were hours away from any other village, town, or city. It was peaceful.

But Link was feeling lonely. He hadn't seen his mother all morning. Usually she woke him up by crawling into bed with him and hugging him. Usually both of his parents did that... But Daddy's gone now, he thought sadly.

As he stared down at his breakfast, popping the golden yolk of his egg and watching it run all over the crude wooden plate, an unwelcome memory popped into his six year old mind.

_"DADDY!" He cried, holding tightly onto the flimsy branch that was the only thing keeping him from being washed down the river. "DADDY, HELP ME, PLEASE!" White water blurred his vision, but he was able to make out the sight of his big, strong daddy perching precariously on the bank, holding onto the thin sapling for support, reaching out to him._

_"Link," he shouted over the sound of the rushing water, "Son, take my hand!" He was too afraid to let go. He would be washed away! _

_"Daddy, I CAN'T!" He sobbed, feeling his grip loosening. His father reached out, inched out farther over the ledge._

_"Link!" He was screaming. "TAKE MY HAND! Son, PLEASE! Trust me!" He looked up at his daddy and mustered up every ounce of courage in his six year old body. _

_He reached out. _

_"LINK, NO!" Link felt the cold water take ahold of him, and knew he was going to die. But suddenly he was ripped out of the water by strong hands, and thrown onto the bank... He heard his daddy shout out, heard the loud crunch of wood breaking-_

_And he saw his daddy smile at him one last time. _

_"Be strong, son," he said before he was pulled under the by the cruel water and taken by the river. _

_"DADDY!" Link screamed. "DAAAADDDYYYYYY, NOOOOOOOO!" _

"LINK!" A harsh voice snapped him back to reality. He looked up once again into the stern eyes of Kaid. No, not Kaid. Stepfather, he thought solemnly.

"Yes, sir?" He said quietly, forcing himself to keep eye contact with the man. He remembered how angry he had gotten the day before when his mother hadn't looked him in the eyes while speaking with him.

Kaid seemed to register the respect the little boy had for him. If he could call it that. Link wasn't old enough to understand. He only knew that if he didn't behave, if he wasn't good, Kaid would be mad. And he didn't like it when Kaid was mad. So he decided to make it a point to always be a good boy.

"Link," Kaid said again, calmly this time. "Eat your breakfast. Get your head out of the clouds and focus. We have a long day of work ahead of us, and I expect you to earn your keep, do you hear me?" Link nodded vigorously.

"Yes, sir!" Link was excited. He remembered his daddy telling him how important hard work was. If you don't work you don't eat. A man has to work to support himself and his family, or he hasn't even earned the right to call himself a man.

Kaid smiled at the boy's willingness. It was a cold smile that didn't reach his eyes, but it was a smile nonetheless. This was a boy who knew his place. He liked that. He stood off to the side and fried eggs for himself and watched the little boy get back to eating his breakfast.

The child took a big bite of bread and then gulped down some milk. But Link couldn't help but frown at the yolk pooled on his plate. The memories came unbidden, once again...

_He remembered watching as his neighbors pulled his daddy out of the water. They had heard him scream and came running. But they couldn't find him... Until it was too late. _

_Daddy was dead. His still, cold body was lifeless when they dragged him into the riverbank. He remembered Chaz, one of his father's close friends, yelling his father's name, pounding his clenched fists into his chest, begging him to breathe. _

_"LEON! Dammit, man, don't die on us, Leon! We need you here," he had screamed, tears running down his bristly cheeks. The tall orange-haired man had never cried before, Link had thought. Chaz sobbed as water and bile spilled from Leon's pale lips and pooled around his head... _

_He looked down at his breakfast, unable to ignore the similarity of the watery pool of yolk to the lukewarm water that had spewed from his father's dead lungs. He shuddered, pushed his plate back slightly. He didn't notice when Kiefer raised his blue eyebrows at him, glanced over at Kaid worriedly. Link was too far gone in his darkest memory._

_His father's once strong body lay like limp on the ground, his head angled oddly and his mouth and eyes wide open. _

_The sight unnerved him. His father's lifeless body beneath Chaz's as he begged him to breathe, say something, LIVE! Link watched in awe as his neighbor cried. Chaz was a mountain of a man, with muscles of steel and strong, wide shoulders. He had worked shoulder to shoulder with Leon since they were barely older than Link himself... Link hadn't believed Chaz COULD cry. _

_"Chaz, stop it," another man said. "He's gone. Chaz! You can't bring him back." Chaz had stumbled back from Leon's body, crumpling to the ground in a sobbing, shaking heap. _

_And then one of the other neighbors took him home. He remembered the man telling his mother what had happened. He remembered her screams of anguish, remembered watching her collapse... The fear that she'd leave him like Daddy did. _

_When she finally woke up she had taken Link in her arms and held him tight. _

_"I almost lost you, too, didn't I, baby?" She murmured into his soft blonde hair, so like his father's. "Thank Goddess your daddy saved you for me... I only wish..." Link had looked up into his mother's eyes and saw the unshed tears there. _

_"He's never coming back, is he, Mommy?" And Danika had cried then. _

_"No, Link," she had said as the tears began to fall. "Daddy isn't ever coming back. But it's going to be okay. I promise. We are going to be okay..." _

"Psst!" Kiefer hissed in his ear, once again snapping him out of it. "Eat your breakfast. Dad hates it when we don't finish our breakfast. He'll think you're being an ingrate." Link looked at him blankly.

"What's an ingrate?" He asked the older boy. Keifer's silver eyes sparkled as he smiled.

"Someone who isn't thankful and takes things for granted."

"What's... Taking things for granted?" Kiefer's smile widened and he and his new stepbrother began to talk about words. Link would ask questions. Kiefer would answer them. And vice versa. It was like the floodgates had opened and suddenly they were talking to each other as if they'd known each other forever.

For the first time all week, Link was smiling and happy. Mother was right, he thought. Everything is going to be okay.

**Teeeeaaaars! This was sad to write but I liked it at the same time. One more chapter of backstory left, folks. And then I will be fast forwarding time quite a bit. I hope you like this! **

**Preview please! Let me know what you like, don't like, would like... I'm always open to suggestions!**


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